Special Education and Support Services
Teachers
Information on the Individualized Education Program, special education certification structure, regional safe schools programs, transition services, class size/age range requirements, and other helpful resources.
Appropriate Procedures for
Determining Placement in the Least Restrictive Environment. 
- April 10, 2001. The information contained herein
is intended to reinforce the requirements of IDEA, discuss
their implications at the local level, and offer technical
assistance and training resources that educators and parents
may access to enhance their capacity to collaboratively fulfill
those requirements.
Categories for Special Education. The Special Education Categories site includes information, research, resources, and best practices on the following program areas: Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Mental Retardation, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech/Language Impairment, Speech/Language Pathology Services, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment.
Certification - Special Education. As a result of the Corey H. litigation, the Illinois State Board of Education has implemented new rules to make the transition to a new system of certification for special education teachers.
Chronic Infectious
Diseases in Schoolchildren. The Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department
of Public Health, and the Illinois General Assembly place
a high priority on the need to prevent the spread of infectious
diseases in schools.
Compliance Monitoring. Special Education monitoring activities are comprised of two types of compliance reviews: Focused and Comprehensive Compliance Reviews.
Directors
of Special Education
Extended School Year Services
for Students with Disabilities - July 26, 2005
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a reminder
regarding the legal requirements related to the provision
of extended school year (ESY) services for students with disabilities.
- Extended School
Year for Students with Disabilities - November 20, 2001
Individualized Education Program (IEP). The Illinois State Board of Education's recommended Individualized Education Program (IEP) forms packets are available in English and Spanish versions. Click to view the language version you prefer.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The LRE Clearinghouse is a resource for families and educators on issues related to educating students with disabilities in the regular classrooms.
Occupational and
Physical Therapy Services - Recommended Practices. The purpose of this document is to present administrators,
occupational and/or physical therapy personnel, educators,
other professionals, and parents, with information regarding
the provision of occupational and/or physical therapy in educational
environments.
Reading - "A Child Becomes a Reader - Birth to Preschool". This booklet offers advice for parents of children from birth to preschool on how to support reading development at home, and how to recognize preschool and day care activities that start children on the road to becoming readers.
Regulations
Regarding Psychological Counseling and Mental Health Services - March 18, 2004. This purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to
school districts to ensure that children with behavioral or
emotional disabilities (ED) are receiving all of the related
services that they need, including psychological counseling
services, as part of a free appropriate public education in
the least restrictive environment.
Secondary Transition. This web page provides access to a great variety of resources, tools and information related to secondary transition including, but not limited to: an age-appropriate transition assessment, measurable post-school goals, transition plan development, and linkages to web resources that cover a range of topics related to secondary transition. The Transition Outreach Training for Adult Living (TOTAL) Project training modules and resources can also be accessed here.
Social Emotional Performance Descriptors. The classroom assessments are resources to help teachers determine local performance expectations for the Illinois Learning Standards at each grade level.
Special Education Certification Structure and Content Area Standards. The development of the Illinois professional education standards for teachers, school service providers, and administrators is the result of more than four years of collaborative work by hundreds of educators and citizens throughout Illinois.
Students with Disabilities
in Regional Safe Schools Programs - November 1, 2001. This memorandum is sent to clarify the responsibilities of
school districts and special education cooperatives in providing
services to students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs)
enrolled in the Regional Safe Schools Program (RSSP) and in
meeting relevant reporting requirements.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
- The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act. Teachers who teach math, science, or special education and
who have taught for five years in a Title I school may be
eligible for new loan forgiveness limits.
Time Out and Physical Restraint
Rules. Public Act 91-600 amended the School Code of Illinois to specifically
address the issues of isolated time out and physical restraint
in public schools.
Title I Requirements
Relating to the Qualifications of Paraprofessionals- December 30, 2004. This memorandum is intended to clarify the application of the requirements
under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) to paraprofessionals.
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